COUNCILLORS will consider allocating £160,000 towards bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire.

Calderdale Cabinet members will be asked on Monday to support Welcome to Yorkshire’s bid to bring the world’s greatest cycling race to the region.

The authority thinks it will bring a £3m boost to the local economy.

Rights to host the two stages of the Grand Départ are hotly contested between Yorkshire and Scotland.

A Calderdale report, to be presented to Cabinet members, says: “The bid would see the first two stages of the Tour running through Yorkshire with a third stage in the South of England.

“One proposed stage runs for 191Škm (119m) from Leeds to Scarborough through the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks, with the second proposed stage running 186Škm (116m) from York to Sheffield, through the Pennines and the Peak District National Park, with over a fifth of the route passing through Calderdale and around a tenth passing through Rochdale.”

If councillors back the funding a working group will be formed to prepare, stage and execute legacy benefits.